This invention relates in general to cooling heat sensitive gas turbine engine components and, more specifically, to an improved system for directing cooling engine bypass air against such heat sensitive components.
Ducted fan jet engines for aircraft applications have come into widespread use. Such engines include a core engine within a streamlined shroud, a stage of fan blades mounted upstream of the engine and driven thereby, and a nacelle surrounding the fan blades and shroud and spaced from the shroud to provide a bypass duct between nacelle and shroud through which compressed air is forced by the fan blades.
The engine produced considerable heat, so that the engine compartment volume between engine and shroud is at significantly elevated temperature. Since the exterior shape of the engine and the interior shape of the streamlined shroud are quite different, there is a considerable volume in the engine compartment which could be used to house various sensors and electronic components making more efficient use of the overall engine and nacelle volume and reducing overall size. Unfortunately, many of these components are heat sensitive, being severely damaged or degraded at the engine compartment temperatures. While some efforts have been made to run cooling lines to components in the engine compartment, these add weight and complexity and cannot accommodate components added after engine manufacture, as the engine evolves and is modified.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improvements in cooling components in the engine compartment and to accommodate moved or added components therein.